By The easy accessibility of money is one of the reasons why it is so hard for a lot of people to bulk up their savings. Do you have the same problem?
If you do, there are several different ways for you to protect your financial stash from impulse buys and other types of mindless cash outflow. Listed below are seven of them.
1. Put your money in a time deposit.
This is a savings program that most banking institutions offer. Basically, with a time deposit, you store your money an interest-bearing deposit account. You are not allowed to withdraw this money until it has reached its age of maturity, which can be for a number of years.
If you need the money, you will have to give notice to the bank. Doing this will not guarantee an automatic release of the amount. It typically takes some time before the bank allows the withdrawal of the fund. With this being such a hassle, you most likely would rather just leave it alone.
2. Create multiple savings accounts.
It’s a sound strategy to create different savings accounts and put them in different banks. Doing this makes money less accessible.
Also, when you name these savings accounts (which your bank will allow you to do) accordingly such as “Only for Emergency Fund” and “Fund for a Comfortable Retirement,” you create a psychological block every time you want to tap into your other savings when you think you need more money.
3. Personalize your credit cards.
Personalizing your credit cards will provide you with a better reminder of what you use the credit cards for.
For example, the credit card with your family’s picture indicates that you only get to use that credit card to strategically pay for your family’s expenses. Therefore, you leave that credit card at home most of the time and only bring it when you’re heading out to shop for your family’s needs.
Meanwhile, the credit card your picture is strictly for your personal purchases that are never included in our family’s budget, such as new clothes for work, gifts for others, and dinners with friends.
4. Stop linking your savings to your checking account.
It’s smarter to keep your money in accounts that are not so easily accessible such as a checking account. Also, only maintain a minimum amount for this account and prevent yourself from using your checks so easily to pay for big purchases.
5. Restructure your loans.
If you had taken out personal loans in the last few years, schedule a meeting with your bank to find out how you can pay it off in a smarter way so you can be tucking away more money and leaving your savings account alone.
Banks have a menu of programs that are designed to help people who want to make loan payments easier. It really is just a matter of identifying the refinancing program that is best for you.
6. Always pay your bills on time.
Nothing can throw your finances off balance more than extra charges and interests for delayed payments. You can avoid touching your personal savings if you stay on top of your bills.
There are different organizational apps that can help you with this and most of them are free. Use them to alert you about upcoming payments.
You can also install one or two apps that will help you identify aspects of your life where you are spending a little too much such as your daily latte at Starbucks. You can take such variables out and save more money to build your savings.
7. Keep an eye out for ATM fees.
There are banks that charge for ATM transactions and if yours does, always check how much is charged whenever you move your money around. If the fees are nicking you an “uncomfortable” amount, perhaps, it’s time to bank elsewhere.
Your savings are your protective defenses against the financial accountabilities life brings. You should build it up to a considerable amount so that one day when you direly need to spend on something important, you won’t go scrambling around searching for a way to pay it off and inconveniencing people.
